Epidemiologist back from Fukushima: “We’re talking about a sacrifice zone and millions of people live in this area” — Exceeds allowable radiation dose for nuclear workers 40 kilometers from Fukushima plant (VIDEO)

Epidemiologist Dr. Steve Wing, University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill, discusses the human impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster based on his visit to the area: This reading here, just to put it in perspective, the guard there if he stood there for a year, right where he is now in this picture, he would exceed the allowable radiation dose for a nuclear workers inside a plant. And this is 40 kilometers away. So we’re talking about a sacrifice zone, and millions of people live in this area.

So the guard — can you see on the ground behind the guard there’s a metal plate? He’s supposed to stand on that metal plate, and that’s his protection. And he’s wearing a surgical mask, and he has a helmet. It made me feel kind of bad, that here is someone that’s working in a radiation exposed job and he’s been issued a surgical mask and a helmet as though he’s supposed to feel protected.